In the summer of 2008 something huge happened in my life. Something that Angela and I had been planning (and saving) many months for. After three months and almost thirty showings we purchased our first house. We found it tucked in Saint Louis Park between Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins and Minneapolis. For us, it was exactly what we wanted: close to work, near downtown, suburban-feel, fenced yard, centrally-located, big garage, move-in ready, nice kitchen, 2+ bedrooms, et cetera. Alas, it had one feature missing: a second bathroom. Having just spend almost two years in a 770 square foot apartment we both knew extra space for friends, family and eventually kids was all but a necessity. Luckily, we knew we'd be receiving a First-Time Homebuyer Credit right in the midst of an economic and housing crisis. We mentally ear-marked that money and signed on the dotted line.

We moved in, decorated, painted, adopted a Greyhound and got our ducks in order. Once we were settled we began designing the bathroom we wanted to put in the basement. For a year we clipped magazines, bookmarked websites and ripped out photos. In the fall of 2009 we finally broke ground with design in hand. We ran into some inspection issues and learned quick how serious SLP is about home inspections and housing codes. Half-way in we switched gears and installed an egress window, unexpected but needed. Three months, some dusty rooms, a clogged nose and two sore hands later we officially had ourselves a second bathroom.

Now that we're done if'n ya find yourself in the process of adding a basement bathroom and need some inspiration or just want to see if the Higgins' have any style check out the pictures below. Also, I added a few links to some of the materials we used.